Centenarian Cecil enjoys special day marking his 100th birthday at his family get-together

Centenarian Cecil enjoys special day marking his 100th birthday at his family get-together

5 July 2023

A FORMER Teconnaught farmer enjoyed a special celebration with his 100th birthday week coinciding with the first birthday of his great-grandson and his grandson’s wedding.

Cecil Orr was born on June 26, 1923, a year which saw the wedding of future King George VI to Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother and the end of the Irish Civil War.

Mr Orr’s great grandson James celebrated his birthday while grandson Stuart married his sweetheart Anna in the same week he celebrated his centenary..

Cecil — who has been married for 60 years to his devoted wife Betty who is 86 — celebrated his birthday with a family dinner at the family farm J C Orr & Sons.

The couple have five sons. Andrew, Nigel, who sadly passed away in 2012, Timothy, Paul and Jeffrey with Cecil and Betty enjoying spending time in the company of their six grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Cecil’s granddaughter Rebecca spoke about the birthday celebrations and reflected on Cecil’s life, “We got the family together and had a big dinner,” she said.

“Lots of folks sent Granda their well wishes and he received a card from King Charles and Queen Camilla acknowledging his 100th birthday which is so lovely to have.

“It has been a really nice time for the family. In the same weekend Granda celebrated his 100th birthday, my son, his great grandson James. was celebrating his first birthday, so we were able to get a lovely photo of James with his ‘one’ balloon and Granda with his “100th”.

Rebecca has also been recalling Cecil’s life when he was growing up.

“We have always been a farming family. Granda started working at Castleviggan when he was 14.

“He went to Down High School, but when his father died suddenly he had to come out of school to help the family farm,” she said.

“When the Second World War broke out, Granda was one of the first people to take delivery of a Fordson Tractor on steel bands at the docks in Belfast. He drove it all the way home to Teconnaught which, as you can imagine, would not have been a comfortable drive.”

This model of tractor became known as “the tractor that won the war,” because of the compulsory tillage scheme that occurred during the war throughout the island of Ireland.

When asked what the secret is to living a long and happy life, Rebecca said her grandfather enjoys his whiskey.

She continued: “He has a of Bushmills at the end of the night and has a saying that it keeps him ‘well oiled’ and he always enjoys a good joke and a laugh. On the big day of his celebrations he made a short speech.

“Granda said ‘thank you all for coming today and sure I’ll see you all at my 110th’ and the whole room was in hysterics. He and Granny have always eaten good fresh, unprocessed food, which has kept both of them healthy.

“Granda always has a fire and he’s always been one to lead a simple life and is very lucky in that he is not a worrier.”

Rebecca described her grandfather as “very creative” and revealed he has written and directed a number of plays for Spa Young Farmers Club which won lots of awards.

She said the Spa Young Farmers Club has played a “monumental role” in the lives of many in the Orr family, with her grandparents meeting through the club. 

Rebecca said her parents, Paul and Nicky, also met through the Club and that it was Spa YFC that brought her and her husband David together.

She added: “We all have a lot to thank those early members like Granda and his friends for. They kept the club going all those years ago and it is great to see it go from strength to strength.”

Spa Young Farmers Club  has also paid tribute to Cecil.

It said: “We want to wish our long-standing patron, Cecil Orr a massive happy 100th Birthday. 

“Thank you Cecil for your contributed support of Spa YFC from its early days right through to this, our 80th year.”